>>5949070That's the Hearst Castle in California. Basically the son of a magazine mogul developed a taste for fine art and had that place built so he could show it off. He put together what is probably a priceless collection of art and architecture from around the world, threw lavish parties for every celebrity of his day, and set up a fund to make sure it was kept as a museum after he died.
Don't get me wrong, a lot of it is breathtaking, but he never created or contributed to any of it. The whole time I was there, I couldn't help but imagine the kind of ego that worked so hard to make sure he was remembered for having expensive taste. To me, a major part of the appeal of art is the culture and history that went into its creation, and it just seemed like he robbed a lot of art of both.
